“Whatcha You See Is Whatcha Get” by The Dramatics

Detroit vocal quintet the Dramatics scored one of their biggest hits with this exquisite slice of soul in 1971. The track is brilliantly arranged and seamlessly melds Latin, soul, funk, and pop. William “Wee Gee” Howard and Ron Banks share lead vocals, infusing their performances with heaps of style and passion. Banks’ soothing falsetto nicely complements Howard’s gritty tenor. Group members Larry “Squirrel” Demps, Willie “Sugar Bear” Ford, and Elbert Wilkins all deliver strong performances on their featured vocal parts and rich harmonies. The song boasts a delicious fuzztone guitar riff, percolating percussion, marvelous horn charts, and airy strings. Banks brings additional flavor to the mix with some killer scatting, and Ford’s powerful bass vocals elevate the track tremendously, including his famous line “Look at me."

“What you see is what you get” was a popular catchphrase in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Comedian Flip Wilson popularized it through his sassy drag character, Geraldine, on his hit TV variety show, The Flip Wilson Show, which originally aired on NBC from 1970 to 1974. The catchphrase inspired the Dramatics’ song “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.”

The song is an offer of authenticity and genuine love to a prospective romantic partner. The narrator promises a strong, loving relationship built on honesty, loyalty, and trust. He assures her that he’s not looking to play games, deceive, or cause her any heartbreak; he has nothing but good intentions: “But baby, I’m for real/I’m as real as can get.” 

“Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” was written and produced by Tony Hester, and Johnny Allen arranged the horns, strings, and rhythm charts. It’s the title track and lead single from the Dramatics’ debut album, released on Volt/Stax Records in November 1971. The song peaked at #3 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. And it reached #44 on the Canadian singles chart. The song has sold a million copies to date.

“Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” has been sampled on 33 songs, including “Fight The Power” (Public Enemy), “I Know You See Me” (Lil’ Kim), and “Big Daddy vs. Dolemite” (Big Daddy Kane, featuring Rudy Ray Moore). It has been featured on the soundtracks of the films Detroit (2017), An Honest Liar (2014), Talk To Me (2007), Sunday Driver (2005), Darktown Strutters (1975), and Wattstax (1973). And it has been featured on notable television series such as American Soul (2019), Black Lightning (2018), and Fargo (2015). 

Additionally, drag queen and singer RuPaul covered the song for the soundtrack of the 1993 film, The Addams Family Values. And hitmaking blue-eyed soul duo Hall & Oates recorded a cover of it for their 2004 album Our Kind of Soul.

The Dramatics performing "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" live

The Dramatics performing "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" on Soul Train

"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" is available at Amazon

Related blog entry:

"Get Up and Get Down" by The Dramatics